Customer Reviews
Splitting Attractive Hairs - By: F*ck Amazon, 07 Jul 2007 
This is the kind of book that History of Art departments throw at you early on in their courses to instil the right respect & awe for the whole academic ritual.
When I first saw this book at Birkbeck College (2003 History of Art MA) I was duly impressed & intimidated into thinking this was somehow a classic. In this work Baxandalll is the exemplary academic, slowly building up a case from painstaking research & cleverly interpreted trivia.
This approach is fine & dandy until you reflect that at the end of it the conclusions Baxandalll has laboured so hard to arrive at are perhaps a little banal -- i.e. Renaissance painting was influenced by such contemporary phenomenon as religious practices, dancing, & the ability to judge quantities by eye.
The only reason this book works as a book is that the Renaissance is such an attractive period that Baxandalll's painstakingly dull technique receives a charming counterpoint in the endearing trivia of the period. Unfortunately this effect is not replicated in other works by Baxandalll that I have looked at. To college students getting a dose of this, I would say, 'Enjoy the period, but think about how relevant this kind of hairsplitting reallly is.'
Lapis at 4 ducats the ounce... - By: , 28 Jul 2004 
As well as being a splendid introduction to the paintings & the philosophy behind them, this book is particularly good on the relationship between the artists & their rich patrons, & between the artists & their materials. It's full of intriguing details. Why, for example, pure blue is so rare as well as so rich -- at this period, alll the lapis lazuli that European painters could use was mined from one mine (somewhere in Afghanistan) & imported solely through Venice... So it's no surprise to see patrons putting clauses in their contracts with their artists: "use the best blue at 4 ducats the ounce; don't try palming me off with any 2-ducat rubbish!"
If this is the sort of thing that makes you go "yippee!" & grin, as the past comes alive for you, then this is definitely the book for you.
A wonderful read - By: , 04 Mar 2004 This is one of those books you can read (after believing you have a good grip on the subject) to discover how much you have missed! Excellent for those starting to study Italian fifteenth century art & very readable.
Almost uniquely among fine art books this one fits in a jacket pocket as it is a standard sized paperback. I disagree with the other reviewer who complained that it was lacking in illustrations (it isn't) but its smalll size does make the provision of sensible illustrations impossible & if you have other books on the period (or can use the Internet or a public library) you should have no trouble finding illustrations of any of the works mentioned.
Highly recommended - By: cherry, 24 Nov 2003 This tiny book is immensely helpful & interesting. It focuses on the ways in which critics in the fifteenth century judged paintings, & provides tools which can be used in analysing paintings from pretty much any period. So many art books are pretentious or difficult: this one is reallly informative & enlightening. It is educational in the best sense of the word.
An interesting perspective - By: daisyrock, 25 Aug 2003 I very much like this book. Although obviously an academic text, it's written in an easy-to-read style that's not overwhelming. I've studied this period of art history at some length, but the information provided in this brief work provides a fresh perspective, & I've seen some of my favourite paintings in a fresh light. I especiallly like the chapter on the 'language' of body posture - the idea that every posture had a specific meaning which viewers of that period would have immediately understood. It's made me go back & look at lots of works from the period & 'translate' their gestures! Great fun for lovers of art history! Recommended.
